Wednesday, May 23, 2012

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with
Goddess Fish Promotions. Chris is giving away a $75 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during her tour, so comment
today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll
take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment,
the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new
author AND win a GC!

The rare discovery of a ship sunk during the time of the Trojan War has been found off the coast of Turkey, near Troy. Charlotte Dashiell is an American nautical archaeologist and thrilled to be part of the recovery team. The wreck may contain proof of her highly controversial theory about the Trojan War.

Charlotte is present when the Turkish government agent assigned to guard the site is murdered. Her possible involvement and a questionable connection to a private collector of black market relics bring her under suspicion. Atakan Vadim is the Turkish agent sent to investigate her. Unknown to either of them, the smuggler behind the murder plans to steal a valuable artifact and frame Charlotte for the theft...after they murder her.
The mere mention of the Trojan War intrigued me. I knew I needed to read this book with such a unique premise and I'm glad I did. The plot was solid, the suspense good, the ending satisfying.

Charlotte is a strong woman ... occasionally stronger than I would have expected, but her steel spine gets her through some difficult times. Admittedly, it gets her in trouble a bit too. And, while I knew Atakan was our hero, it took a while for both Charlotte and I to warm up to him--but he turns out to be quite the hero!

The story begins quickly, with a shipwreck and mayhem. I felt a bit lost at first, with characters being thrown at me from every direction... it was difficult to know who was who, and which persons were friends with whom. Still, it definitely hooked me, and made me want to continue reading. This is very much a plot-driven story, with details galore. The characters may not have been as easy to get to know as I would have liked, at least not at the beginning. The story was the focus, and the characters necessary to move the plot forward, but they weren't fully fleshed out right off.

Over time, however, they shared their secrets with me, and I came to care about them, enough that I worried terribly for Charlotte several times, especially at the very exciting ending! I've not turned pages that quickly in a long time. I had to know if she'd be okay...

If you like a solid action/suspense story with romantic elements and a solid plot, with heart-pounding excitement and question after question posed (and eventually answered) with an ending that will make your heart sigh, then this is the book for you.

3.5/5 Flowers

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse.

Hi Throuthehaze,The research for the archaeology was daunting and took many months, but it was also so very interesting. I read some incredible articles and books along with watching several DVDs.Chris

MJ...I like how you mention in the review that Charlotte is a strong woman. I mentioned in a previous comment that I like strong heroines...especially normal ones who are thrown into abnormal situations like this. It's one thing if you're a paranormal super-heroine or a trained warrior, but when an archaeologist encounters a situation like this and rises to the occasion, it's fun.

Hi Catherine,Thank you for visiting with me again:) All my heroines are "normal" women thrown into, as you say, "abnormal situations," they must overcome. Being an archaeologist, Charlotte's world is generally filled with academics, not villains. When her life was at risk, she handled herself pretty well, I thought. I did give her a tiny edge though, by making her the daughter and sister of Chicago cops, who gave safety advice in the past.Chris

Hi Gale,Thank you. I hope your intrigued enough to read the story. If so, I'd love to hear from you afterward. Photos etc that pertain to the region and subject can be seen on my boards at pinterest.com/chriskarlsenChris

About / Contact

We are three generations of book lovers who read in many genres and want to share our love of the written word. If you're an author and would like an interview or to guest blog here, please email us: gfbooksmom AT gmail DOT com

We're sorry, but we're currently not accepting new review requests at this time, as we're already in danger from our nearly toppling TBR piles.